I am bartender with almost 20 years experience. 95% of it in Las Vegas, with that said I can tell you that this documentary is an interesting and accurate description of alcoholic behaviors. This film shows a brief look into what 4 different stages of heavy drinkers could go through-from young,middle age and old. It may not be the best doc on alcoholism... but a good insight into how drinking can impact our lives. The film itself was well done and kudos to HBO for doing so.

I applaud HBO and the participants for putting this together. It is so real, it can be difficult to watch, especially for those viewers who personally struggle or are dealing with a family member that won't quit.

The first step in tackling alcoholism is admitting there is a problem. These four stories may strike a chord with some viewers who are battling with that admission. It also illustrates quite well the progressive and destructive consequences of letting the problem go untreated.

There is much discussed in the film about treatments for cutting back. The hard truth, and why so many hesitate to seek treatment, is there really is no going back to "social drinking". Not ever. That's were I believe each of these four characters risk failure. The good news is there is a fulfilling and enjoyable life away from the bar scenes and drinking buddies.

Strategies that have the best track record: In or out patient treatment for 1-3 months, followed by group therapy, (AA being ideal),with weekly visits to a social worker or psychiatric professional. There is a treatment for every budget. Build a network of sober friends, and work it. If the goal is to stop drinking, and not "cut back", you can do it. Keep that in mind as you watch this documentary.

A documentary that takes a peek into the lives of 4 different alcoholics. These four people are from different walks of life, different ages and stages of drinking. We get to see the hold alcohol has on them and how it effects them and their family's lives as well as get scientific info on the effects of alcohol.

After each story there are different doctors who state facts and info about alcohol's effects on the body, treatment to teach moderate drinking as opposed to abstinence, the permanent risks and damage alcohol causes, and info and stats on different treatments. They all refer to a "Spectrum of Problem Drinking" graph that ranks from No Risk & Low Risk to Mild, Moderate, & Severe. The last 3 being in the category of Alcohol Use Disorder

First up, a 20-something young lady who works hard during the week and then parties it up on the weekends. She uses binge drinking and impromptu sex to escape her unhappiness, loss of her boyfriend and just for "fun". I can't help but notice that she makes faces and says yuk after taking shots or vodka gummy worms, and although she's partying it up with friends she seems sad and lonely and this lifestyle doesn't seem to be helping her feel any better.

Second, a middle age dad. His 15-year-old is visiting him in St Thomas and they spend more time in the bar or 1 room apartment with the dad drinking till he's slurring his words and tipsy than having fun. The dad seems to really love his son and want him around, but it's so sad to see the opportunity dad's missing to have a real relationship with his son. Instead of having your kid go buy your cigarettes and rum, get out of the bar and take your son surfing, to play pool, see movies, play card games, etc. Be present. Create lifelong memories. Such an incredible waste of a relationship. Later they show the dad trying to go to rehab and fix his current marriage.

Third, a lady who writes a blog "mom's who drink and cuss" has gained a new group of like-minded friends who get together once a week, to what else...drink. One friend, Noel, a mother of 2 girls, is slipping from casual drinking to drinking away her troubles daily. She has these beautiful daughter's who she loosing precious time with because she is depressed, hopeless and drinking away her life.

Lastly, a 57-year-old man who is intoxicated 24/7. His health is deteriorating and he's barely functioning, reaching alcohol blood levels of 0.37 and higher regularly. We see the toll this takes on not only him but his family.

The sad thing is that all of these people drink because they are unhappy and trying to fill an emptiness. They turn to drinking, but all the drinking does is create even more severe problems and then they are drinking to get away from the problems caused by the drinking. By then they are hooked and their lives are in shambles. The pull of the addiction and wanting to numb themselves is stronger than their self respect, relationships with friends and family and having a normal, healthy life. They don't have coping skills or know how to manage the normal ups and downs of life without alcohol. They all have good intentions and want to stop drinking, but don't have the willpower... the addiction is too strong.

The show was interesting as far as seeing the effects of alcohol and how strong the addictions were, as well as the different types of people and why they chose to drink, but the show was sad and frustrating because there seemed to be very little hope for these people. The pull of the addiction was so strong and they seemed unable to walk away from it. They knew the alcohol wasn't good and was messing up their lives and hurting their loved ones, but they just couldn't completely let go of drinking. Possibly, this show might be helpful for teens/young people to see the hold alcohol can actually have and see how an intoxicated person's life really looks like from the outside and inside (if they weren't so drunk & addicted, they'd probably be embarrassed at how pathetic they look),but sadly, I don't think this show offers much in the way of help or solutions.